I couldn't remember if this was discussed yet, I did a search in spofi for LZR and got no result though... I thought the concept of tech doping would be a bit of a reprieve from regular doping. I'm thinking of Bonds' arm guard.

I think this is an incredibly fascinating "controversy"! I've been a long-time critic of many of the logics underpinning the ban on drugs in sport, and this is one indisputable example of technology surpassing "nature" (i.e., human skin) in a significant way. Don't get me wrong, it's super-cool! Engineered fabrics making swimmers go faster than ever is almost comic-book-good! But it does beg many serious questions about its legitimacy and fairness of use in the pristine world of international competition. MUZZLE DICK POUND!

"Bonds' arm guard provides protection from injury." Earlier on Spofi it was suggested that Bonds' arm guard also aided him in keeping the arm straight and removing the threat of being hit by a pitch. I recall it being an interesting point.

Bonds' arm guard provides protection from injury." Earlier on Spofi it was suggested that Bonds' arm guard also aided him in keeping the arm straight and removing the threat of being hit by a pitch. I recall it being an interesting point. Bonds' arm guard also provides him with the confidence to stay in the box on an inside pitch, without it, he would be backing off these pitches instead he can swing at some of them, another performance enhancing example.

"...who must wear new suits every 10th swim." WTF? Any swimmers out there that can explain this to me? Is this normal for any swimsuit, or just the LZR? I wouldn't call this technological doping so much as a technological arms race. Wearing an old-school suit now is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. I'm sure less-wealthy countries will recall the universal values of Olympism as they're getting pasted in the pool.

WTF? Any swimmers out there that can explain this to me? Is this normal for any swimsuit, or just the LZR? A friend of mine (who is a swim coach) said that it's 'cause it's like squeezing into a compression sock ... only it's like a nylon in that if it gets a "run" it's hooped. They are seamless and super-tight-fitting ... so I guess it's the getting them on and off that reduces their life-expectancy. Or so I'm told.

Have you seen the non-retouched photos? Wow. So right now they are training the Chinese cameramen to focus on the swimmer's faces. Not much left to the imagination. But then again, there is shrinkage ...

Bonds' arm guard also provides him with the confidence to stay in the box on an inside pitch, without it, he would be backing off these pitches instead he can swing at some of them, another performance enhancing example. The same could be said about batting helmets.

WTF? Any swimmers out there that can explain this to me? Is this normal for any swimsuit, or just the LZR? What spitz said. Suits that are designed to help one swim faster are very, very skin tight and their effectiveness will reduce with wear. Since they cost a ridiculous amount of money it is rare to see swimmers wearing them except for big swim meets (excluding Olympians and other very skilled swimmers).

You can tell the Olympics are coming when the local papers start having their baseball/football guys write columns on swimming. Our paper had one where the guy questioned even the possibility of suits making you go faster, and suggested the recent records were "because they worked harder".

MY local paper's baseballfootball guys can't even spell Olimpicks, much less write about them. Although if you think about it, if those suits are so very, very skin tight, the swimmers might be working harder to get out of it faster.